LIBRARY OF CONGRESS. 



§^t£x\f tyXZI 



UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 



Condensed Text-Book 

of 



TT7-J ' 

yyhist 

The American Leads 

with the 



Principal Plays of the Second and Third 
Hands ; together with a Few Rules 

Compiled 

Roberta G. Newbold 



Second Edition 

1895 



1 



Copyright, 1894, by ROBERTA G. NE W BOLD 
Copyright, 1895, by ROBERTA G. NEWBOLD 



To 

Miss Gertrude Clapp 
to whom I owe my knowledge of whist 
this book is gratefully inscribed 
by her sincere admirer 

R. G. N. 



Times Printing House 
725 Chestnut St. 
Philadelphia 



The American Leads 



American Leads constitute the best system of 
signals. 

They are called American because introduced by 
Mr. Nicholas Browse Trist, of New Orleans. 

They have been accepted and incorporated in 
Cavendish' s Twenty-first Edition on Whist. 

They specially show the length of suit in two leads 
by following on the second lead with the higher or 
lower of indifferent cards, when the higher never shows 
more than four originally, and the lower never less 
than five. 

Indifferent means cards placed or marked in your 
hand by a previous lead ; indifferent, because it 
makes no difference which you lead as far as taking 
the trick is concerned. 

An Original Lead means one of two things and 
sometimes one of three. 



5 



Definition of Ace 



Definition of Ace 



Ace means one of two things. 

Any four or more cards besides the Ace, so you do 
not have King and Queen together with the Ace ; 

or Ace, Queen, Knave, with one or others. 
Ace Leads in Detail 

Plain Suits and Trumps 

Ace, King, Knave, and two or more small ones. 
1st Ace, 2nd King. 

Ace, King, and five small ones. 

ist Ace, 2nd King. 

Ace, Queen, Knave, with or without others. 

ist Ace, 2nd Queen, 

if three or four in suit ; 

2nd Knave, if five or more in suit. 

Ace, Queen, Knave, Ten. 

ist Ace, 2nd Ten. 



(It means just four in suit.) 



Ace and six small ones, 
ist Ace, 



2nd Fourth best 
left in your hand. 



Forced Lead 



Ace, King. 



ist Ace, 



2nd King. 



6 



Definition of King 



Plain Suits 

Ace, King, and three or more besides. 

ist Ace, 2nd King. 

Ace, and four or more small ones. 

i st Ace, 2nd Fourth best 

left in your hand. 

Trumps Only 

Ace, King, and three small ones, 
i st Fourth best. 
(You cannot lead an Ace in trumps unless you have 
three honors, or six besides the Ace.) 



Definition of King 



King means one of two things. 
Touched by the Ace, or Queen, or both, 
and at most only four in suit. 

King Leads in Detail 

Plain Suits and Trumps 

Ace, King, Queen only, or with one other. 

ist King, 2nd Queen, 3rd Ace. 



7 



Definition of King 



King, Queen, Knave only. 

ist King, 2nd Queen. 

(The Queen falling after the King will not make your 
partner think that Ace, King, Queen and a small one 
are in your hand ; for probably the Ace will take the 
trick if he does not hold it.) 

Ace, King, Queen, Knave. 

ist King, 2nd Knave, 3rd Ace. 
(Quart Major) 

King, Queen, Knave, and one other. 

ist King, 2nd Knave. 

King, Queen, Knave, Ten. 

ist King, 2nd Ten. 

King, Queen, Ten, and one small. 

ist King, 2nd Fourth best, 

if you do not stop the suit and wait for partner 
to return it. 



Plain Suits 



Ace, King, and one or two small ones. 

ist King, 2nd Ace. 

King, Queen, and one or two small ones. 

ist King, 2nd Fourth best 

if King wins. 

2nd Queen, if King is taken. 



8 



Definition of Queen 



Trumps 

Ace, King, and two small, 
i st Fourth best. 

King, Queen, and two small, 
ist Fourth best. 



Definition of Queen 

Queen means one of three things as an original lead, 
and has a forced lead in addition. 

The Top of a Sequence, 

The Bottom of a Sequence, 

or, King, Queen, and at least three small ones. 

The Forced Lead. 

Queen, Knave, and one small one. 

Queen Leads in Detail 

Plain Suits and Trumps 

Ace, King, Queen, and two or more. 

ist Queen, 2nd Ace, 

if five originally in suit. 

2nd King, if six or more originally in suit. 

9 



Definition of Queen 



King, Queen, and five small ones. 

ist Queen, 2nd Fourth best 

left in your hand, 
if Queen wins. 

2nd King, if Queen is taken. 

Queen, Knave, Ten, Nine. 

ist Queen, 2nd Nine. 

(It means just four.) 

Queen, Knave, Ten, with or without others. 

ist Queen, 2nd Knave, 

if three or four originally in suit. 

2nd Ten, if five or more originally in suit. 

King, Queen, Ten, and two or more. 

ist Queen, 2nd Fourth best 

left in your hand, 
if Queen wins. 



Forced Lead 

Queen, Knave, and one small one. 

ist Queen, 2nd Knave, 

if Queen wins. 
2nd small card, if Queen is taken. 



Plain Suits 

King, Queen, and three or four small ones. 

ist Queen, 2nd Fourth best 

left in your hand, 
if Queen wins. 

10 



Definition of Knave 



Trumps 

Ace, Queen, Ten, one or more. 

(Knave turned up to the right.) 
i st Queen. 

King, Queen, and three or four small ones, 
ist Fourth best. 



Definition of Knave 



The Knave means the bottom of a sequence, and at 
least five in suit, for both Plain Suits and Trumps, 
but it is the only original lead of a Knave in Plain Suits. 

i 

In Trumps a Knave is led also at the top of a sequence. 

In addition there is a forced lead of the Knave as the 
highest of three cards. 

Knave Leads in Detail 

Plain Suits and Trumps 

Ace, King, Queen, Knave, and one or more small ones, 
i st Knave, 2nd Ace, 

if five originally in suit. 
2nd King, if six in suit. 
2nd Queen, if seven in suit. 



11 



Definition of Knave 



King, Queen, Knave, and two or more small ones. 
I st Knave, 2nd King, 

if five originally in suit. 
2nd Queen, if six or more originally in suit. 

King, Queen, Knave, Ten, and one small. 

ist Knave, 2nd Ten. 

(It means just five in suit.) 

Notice, that when Knave is followed by Ace there 
is just one small card in leader's hand besides the 
four honors ; when followed by King, two small cards, 
whether Ace is there or not ; when followed by Queen, 
three small cards ; and when followed by Ten, one 
small card, besides the Ten, if you have not Ace. 

Trumps 

Knave, Ten, Nine with one or more. 

i st Knave, 2nd Ten, 

if three or four in suit ; 

2nd Nine, if five or more. 
(It is permissible at times to begin with fourth best.) 

*Knave, Ten, Nine, Eight. 

ist Knave, 2nd Eight. 

(It means just four.) 

King, Knave, Nine. 

If Ten is turned to your right, 
Lead Knave. 

Knave, Ten, Eight. 

If Nine is turned up to your right, 
Lead Knave. 

* You may begin with fourth best. 

12 



Definition of Ten — Fourth Best Leads 



Definition of Ten 



Ten means King, Knave in hand, together with 
the Ten and one or more small ones. 

Ten Leads in Detail 

Plain Suits and Trumps 

King, Knave, Ten with or without others, 
ist Ten. 

2nd A. Fourth best, if Ten wins. 

2nd B. King, if Ten is taken by Ace. 

2nd C. King, if four in suit originally, but 
Knave, if five in suit originally, if Ten is taken by 
Queen, or both Ace and Queen. 



Fourth Best Leads 



An Original Nine Lead is only a fourth best lead, 
but in plain suits and trumps the combination in the 
leader's hand must be, either Ace, Queen, Ten, Nine ; 
or, Ace, Knave, Ten, Nine, without small ones in 
plain suits, but you may have small ones in Trumps. 
In addition in Trumps you may have Ace, King, Ten, 
Nine alone, or with one or two small ones. 

Cavendish now advocates the Lead of Nine from 
King, Knave, Ten, Nine. 



13 



General Rules 



Queen, Knave, and two or more small ones. 
Play Fourth best. 

(If King takes fourth best.) 
2nd Queen, if four originally in suit. 
2nd Knave, if five in suit. 



General Ttyles 



Never make an original lead of a singleton in plain 
suits. 

Lead from your strongest suit, which usually means 
longest. 

Always give your partner the highest of three cards 
when you know it is his suit. 

Subtract the face value of a fourth best card led 
from eleven, and the remainder will be the number 
of higher cards in the other three hands against 
leader. 

When you discard from a four-card suit and after- 
wards lead it, lead it as it is in your hand. 

When you open a strong suit with a high card and 
cannot follow with another high card, let your second 
lead be your Fourth best, counting from the original 
highest in your hand, with two exceptions, when you 
hold King, Queen, and three or four small ones, or 
Ace and four small, then you open with Queen or 
Ace and afterwards play fourth best left in your hand. 

When you open a strong suit with a high card and 
two high indifferent cards remain in your hand, on 



Trump Rules 



the second lead follow with the higher, if you had 
not more than four originally in suit, but with the 
lower, if you had five or more. 

When you have the full command of a suit discard 
the best card so as to inform your partner. 

When you discard a second best card it means you 
have no more of that suit. 

If your only long suit was led by your right-hand 
adversary lead from your best short suit. 

With strength in trumps you may lead Fourth best 
with Ace and four small ones. 

Keep command of adversary's suit as long as 
possible and get rid of the command of your 
partner' s suit. 



Trump Rules 



Always lead from five trumps, unless you have 
another suit in your hand of five unestablished, then 
it is often better to establish that before beginning 
trumps if partner has not shown a suit. 

Do not signal for trumps unless you have at least 
one honor among your trumps and a suit in addition, 
or unless your partner has shown one. 

With five or more trumps, signal on your partner' s 
lead of Ace, Queen, Knave, Ten or Nine. 

If you wish to signal when you must retain your 
lowest, use the two middle cards. 

An echo is the same as a trump signal playing an 
unnecessarily high card, followed by a lower one. 



15 



Trump Rules 



When your partner leads trumps holding Ace, 
King, and two small ones, take with Ace and return 
King ; that is one way of echoing. 

If impossible to echo in trumps when you hold 
four, signal in plain suits at your first opportunity. 

To refuse to trump a certain trick is the best call 
for trumps that can be given. 

To refuse to trump an uncertain trick, you must 
have four trumps or two honors among three. 

When you cannot afford to force your partner to 
trump, you can always afford to force your adversary; 
you must have four trumps, or two honors among 
three, to force your partner. 

Always force your adversary when he is leading 
trumps or signaling for them. 

To lead a single trump, or from two or three, you 
must have the command of the other three suits. 

To lead King of trumps and stop places in leader's 
hand : Ace, Knave, and one small card, or Queen ; 
Ten and one small card ; so return lead as soon as 
possible, and if you have a Queen, a knave, or a 
Ten, return it. 

When trumps are with you, discard from your 
poorest suit ; but when trumps are against you, dis- 
card from your strongest and best suit ; after the first 
discard, use your judgment. 

It is a lesser evil, if next the dealer, to lead from 
four trumps, if all your other suits are suits of three. 
If not next the dealer use your judgment. Return 
your partner' s lead ; lead through strength, or up to 
weakness. 

To lead the losing trump when eleven have been 
played, you must be sure whatever is led you or 



16 



Trump Rules 



your partner can get in. To refuse to draw the 
losing trump, when eleven have been played, is 
because your suit is not established and your adver^ 
sary' s is. 

In response to your partner's signal for trumps, 
if you have five and are forced, trump in with next 
to the lowest, and give the lowest to your partner ; if 
you had four originally, trump in with next to the 
lowest, and give the highest of three left in your hand 
to your partner; if you have only two or three trumps 
when your partner signals, give him the higher of 
two, or highest of three ; if you had four, the lowest, 
unless you had an Ace, when you must lead it. 

When you make an irregular lead with an honor 
turned up to your right you command your partner 
to give you a trump through the dealing hand. 

After trumps are out you lead plain suits as you 
would trumps. 

The Ten always combines with two face cards to 
make a trump lead high. 

You sub-echo when you have three trumps on your 
partner' s call or lead of trumps, there are three ways 
of sub-echoing. 

If you have shown on the first lead that you did 
not hold four, you simply echo, if you had no 
opportunity for showing what you held on the trump 
lead, on the first plain suit led you will show just 
three trumps by playing an unnecessarily high card 
followed by a still higher one and on the third round 
of the suit dropping to your lowest card. 

Or a third way is by not echoing on the first plain 
suit led, which would show four, but waiting for the 



17 



Second In Hand 



second plain suit to be led, then echo, which will 
show three. 

When trumps are out, if you signal, you ask your 
partner to change the suit he is leading. 

You double echo when you echo twice after your 
partner' s lead or signal for trumps, it is to show you 
held five trumps. 



Second In Hand 



A good general principle for a second in hand is 
play high on a low card led, if you hold any combi- 
nation which would make you lead high if you were 
going to lead that suit. 

As a rule second in hand pass an honor led from 
strength if you have only one honor and it is not the 
Ace. 

You almost always play low on a low card led with 
Ace and small cards. 

High Card Play on High Card Led 

With Ace, Knave, and a small card, you may play 
low on a King or Queen led but with two small cards, 
it must depend upon your strength in Trumps, in all 
other cases you play Ace on King led. 

With Ace and two small cards you may play low 
on lead of Queen, if she is followed by a low card 

18 



Second In Hand 



stay off a second time, as Knave may be with your 
partner, but if she is followed by Knave or Ten on 
second round play Ace. 

Play Ace on original lead of Knave ; but with 
Ace, Ten, and one small card you may play low. 

Ace, and one or more small. 

Play low on a weak lead of Knave, 

Ace, Queen, with or without others. 
Play Ace on Knave. 

Ace, King and two small. 

Play King on Queen. 

King, Knave, with or without others. 
King on Queen. 

King and one other. 

Low on Queen, except sometimes late in the 
hand, put it on a weak Queen. 

King, Ten, and one small. 
King or Knave. 

King and two small. 

Put King on Knave for a possible Ten with 
your partner. 

King, Queen, one or more in plain suits. 
Low on Knave. 

King, Queen one or more in Trumps. 
Queen on Knave. 

Ace, Queen, Ten, one or more. 
Queen on Knave. 



19 



Second In Hand 



King, Queen, Ten, one or more. 
Queen on Knave. 

Queen, Ten, one or more. 
Queen on Knave. 

Ace, Queen, with or without others. 
Queen on Ten or Nine. 



Relating to King on Low Card 

Ace, King, and two or more small ones in Trumps. 
Low. 

Ace, King, and two or more small ones in plain suits. 
King. 

Ace, King, Knave, with or without others. 

Play King on low card, unless right hand 
adversary has turned up Queen, then 
Play Knave, but ordinarily you can finesse 
your Knave better on the second round. 

King Knave. 

King on low card, but not on Nine. 

King and one small card. 

Play low on a low card led. 

King and one other. 

Play King on Nine. 

King, Nine. 

Play Nine on Eight. 



20 



Second In Hand 



Relating to Queen on Low Card 

Ace, King, Queen, with or without others. 
Queen on Low Card. 

King, Queen, Ten, and two or more plain suits and 
Trumps. 

Queen on low card. 

King, Queen, and one other, plain suits and Trumps. 
Queen. 

King, Queen, with or without others in plain suits. 
Queen. 

King, Queen, with others in Trumps. 
Low on low card. 

Ace, Queen and one or two small ones. 
Low. 

Ace, Queen, and three small ones, strong in Trumps. 
Low. 

Ace, Queen, and three small ones, weak in Trumps. 
Queen. 

Ace, Queen, Ten, one or more weak in Trumps. 
Queen. 

Queen and low card. 

Low on low card. 

Queen and low card. 

Queen on Nine or Ten. 

Queen and two small. 
Low on Ten. 



21 



Second In Hand 



Relating to Knave on Low Card 

Ace, King, Queen, Knave, or King, Queen, Knave, 
with or without small ones. 
Knave. 

Queen, Knave, and one small plain suits and Trumps. 
Knave. 

Queen, Knave, and two small. 
Low. 

Ace, Queen, Knave, with others. 
Knave. 

Ace, Knave, with one or two small. 
Low. 

(In plain suits King and Queen cannot be in 
leaders' hands, and in Trumps you play a back- 
ward game.) 

King, Knave, with or without others. 
Knave or Nine. 

Knave and one small. 

Knave on Nine, low on other cards. 

plating to Ten on Low Card 

Ten is played at the bottom of a sequence of three 
or four in sequence. 

Knave, Ten, and one small card. 
Ten. 



22 



Second In Hand 



Knave, ten, and two small cards. 
Low. 

Ace, Queen, Ten, only. 
Ten. 

Ace, Queen, Ten, one or more strong in Trumps. 
Ten. 

King, Knave, Ten. 
Ten. 

Any Honor, Ten, and small card. 
Ten on Eight led. 

Ace, Knave, Ten, one or more in plain suits. 
Low. 

Ace, Knave, Ten, one or more in Trumps. 
Ten. 

plating to Nine. 

Bottom of sequences. 
Nine. 

Ten, Nine, and small card. 
Nine. 

Knave, Nine, and small card. 
Nine on Eight. 

King, Knave, Ten, Nine. 
Nine. 

Ace, Queen, Ten, Nine. 
Nine. 

23 



Third In Hand 



Any Honor, Nine, and small card in Trumps. 
Nine on Eight. 

In Trumps, if King or Queen is turned up and you 
hold it singly guarded, it is better to put it on second 
in hand; or if you hold King or Queen second in 
hand, and a higher honor is turned to your right, with 
only one small card, you had better play your honor. 

A Fourchette is a next card higher and a next card 
lower than the one led : with Knave led, Queen, Ten 
in the second hand would be a fourchette. When 
you have a fourchette it is almost always right to cover 
a strengthening card led. 



Third In Hand 



With Ace and One Small 

King led. 

Play low. 

Queen led. 

If second hand follows suit, low. 

Queen led. 

Second hand does not follow suit and does not 
trump. 

Play Ace unless you hold Ten. 

(This is not to unblock, but to take the trick ; if 
Ten is in third hand, Queen will take the trick, and 
there is no need of playing Ace.) 



24 



Third In Hand 



Knave led. 

If second hand follows suit, third hand plays 
Ace. 

If second hand does not follow suit, third hand 
plays low. 

Ten or Nine led. 
Play Ace. 



Ace and Two Small Cards 

King led. 

Play low. 

King led, followed by Knave. 

Third hand passes second round. 

(When leader and partner are declared, with only 
seven cards between them, unless they have entire 
command, it is dangerous to unblock.) 

King led, followed by Ten. 

Low on first round ; but Ace on Ten. 

Queen led. 

If second hand follows suit, play low. 

If King is forced and leader follows with Knave, 

third hand plays low again. 

If Queen led forces King, and is followed by 

Nine : low on Queen, Ace on Nine. 

If Queen led forces King, and is followed by 

Ten, and second hand follows suit: low on 

Queen, Ace on Ten. 



2,5 



Third In Hand 



Queen led. 

Second hand does not follow suit. 
Ace should be played on Queen, unless one 
of the other two cards is Knave or Ten, then 
play lowest. 

Knave led. 
Low. 

On second round, Ace on King, if second hand 
follows suit ; if second hand does not follow, 
play low, but if Ten is played after Knave, play 
Ace on second round, whether second hand 
follows or not. 

Knave led, followed by Queen. 
Low on first round. 

Ace on Queen whether second hand follows or 
not. 

Ten or Nine led. 

Play Ace on first round. 

Ace, Ten, and One Small. 

King, Queen, or Knave led. 

Play low unless Queen is covered by second 
hand. 

King, followed by small. 
Of course, Ace. 

Queen, followed by small. 

If second hand trumps small card, third hand 
should play low, otherwise, of course he plays 
Ace. 



26 



Third In Hand 



Knave led, followed by King. 

If second hand does not follow or trump, third 
hand' s play depends upon whether he wants 
the lead or not, but if second hand trumps, 
third hand must play Ten. 

Knave led, followed by Queen. 
Ace on Queen. 

Ace, Knave Only 
Play Ace on King or Queen, return Knave at once. 

Ace, Knave, and One Small 

King or Queen led. 
Low. 

If King is followed by low card, and third hand 
intends to continue the suit, play Ace, but if 
not, play Knave. 

If Nine is led after King, you may play Ace 
on second round. 

Queen led. 

Play low. 

To the small card next led, if second hand fol- 
lows, play Ace. 

If second hand does not follow, play Knave. 

(True inference : third hand may hold Knave only, 
or small cards only, but cannot have both.) 

Ace, Knave, Ten 
Follows the same rules as Ace, Knave, and One Small. 



27 



Third In Hand 



Ace, Queen Only 

Ten or Nine led, 

Play Ace and return Queen. 

Ace, Queen, and One Small 

Ten or Nine led. 

If second hand follows suit, play Queen, return 
Ace. 

If second does not follow, play low. 
Ace, King, and One S?nall 

Queen led. 

Play King, return Ace. 

Ace, King, and Two Small 

Queen led, followed by Knave. 
Low. 

But followed by Ten, play King and return 
Ace. 

King and One Small 
Play King on Queen led. 
In trumps you may finesse Ace, Knave, if an honor 
is turned to your right. 

If your only honor is a King, you should generally 
pass a Knave, led as it is from weakness. 

King and One Small 

Knave led in Trumps. 

Third hand plays low, 



23 



Third In Hand 



King and Two Small Ones 
Third hand plays low on Knave of Trumps. 
If Ace is led, then Queen, play low; but if followed 
by Knave and second hand follows, in plain suits, 
play King. 

If second hand does not follow, play low, even if 
it is a ten. 

Ace led followed by Ten. 

Play King on Ten ; but if a smaller card is 
led after Ace and second hand Trumps, third 
hand must play low, unless he can place his 
partner with entire command. 

Queen led followed by Knave. 
Low. 

If Queen is followed by Nine, play King. 

Queen led, followed by Ten. 

If second hand follows, King. 

If second hand does not follow, low. 

Nine led. 

Play King first round. 

King, Knave, Only 

Nine led. 

Play King, return Knave. 

King, Knave, and One Small. 

Ace led. 

Play Low, if followed by a card which shows 
entire command, and the second hand trumps ; 



29 



Third In Hand 



still third hand should play King, but if the 
entire command is not shown play Knave. 

Nine led. 

Play Knave and return King. 

Queen and One Small 

Ten led, 

Play Low. 

Nine led. 

Play Queen. 

Queen and Two Small 

Ace followed by King, or King followed by Ace. 
Play low both times. 

Ace followed by Nine. 

If second hand follows, even with King, or 
refuses to be forced, play Queen, but if second 
hand trumps, play low. 

If Ace is followed by Eight. 

Play in the same way as with Ace followed by 
Nine. 

If a smaller card is led after Ace, unless partner 
can count from high cards fallen, or from a high card 
he holds, that the entire command will remain with 
his partner, he should keep the Queen. 

If Ace is followed by Seven and Third hand, holds 
Queen, Ten, Two, play Queen on Seven. 

30 



Third In Hand 



If Ten is led. 

Play low on first round. 

If Ten forces Ace, and is followed by King, or 
King is played when suit is put through the 
leader, the original third hand plays low. 

Nine led. 

Play Queen on first round. 

Queen, Knave, and One Small 
Unblocking combinations are rare. 

Knave, Ten, Nine, or Eight, with Two Small 

Unblocking positions may arise on the second round. 
Analyze, trust to memory and use judgment. 



Holding just four cards of a plain suit when partner 
leads an Ace, Queen, Knave, Ten or Nine. 

Third hand should retain his lowest on the 

first and second rounds. 



A Tenace is the first and third best (Major Ten- 
ace), or second and fourth best (Minor Tenace). 



3i 



Fourth In Hand — Notice 



Fourth In Hand 



Usually the fourth hand wins the trick if possible ; 
there are some exceptions, better learned through 
play, for instance: with an Ace, Knave, and small 
card, it is good play very often to let a King led take 
the trick. 



Notice 



Unnecessary delay in playing, fingering your cards 
while coming to a decision, drumming on the table 
and other noises are mannerisms for which people are 
severely criticised by nervous players. 

For the study of the Game of Whist, " Cavendish 
on Whist," twenty-first edition; " Whist Develop- 
ments," by Cavendish, and ''The Gist of Whist," 
by Charles E. Coffin, are suggested. 



32 



LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 




020 565 661 3 



